English Names

Ruth 1 f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Estonian, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Latin
From a Hebrew name that was derived from the Hebrew word רְעוּת (re'ut) meaning "friend". This is the name of the central character in the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. She was a Moabite woman who accompanied her mother-in-law Naomi back to Bethlehem after Ruth's husband died. There she met and married Boaz. She was an ancestor of King David.... [more]

Ruthie f English
Diminutive of Ruth 1.

Ry m English
Short form of Ryan and other names beginning with Ry.

Ryan m English
From a common Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Riain. This patronymic derives from the given name Rian, which is of uncertain meaning. It is traditionally said to mean "little king", from Irish rí "king" combined with a diminutive suffix.... [more]

Ryana f English (Rare)
Feminine variant of Ryan.

Ryann f English (Modern)
Feminine variant of Ryan.

Ryanne f English (Rare)
Feminine variant of Ryan.

Ryder m English (Modern)
From an English occupational surname derived from Old English ridere meaning "mounted warrior" or "messenger". It has grown in popularity in the 2000s because it starts with the same sound found in other popular names like Ryan and Riley.

Ryker m English (Modern)
Possibly a variant of the German surname Riker, a derivative of Low German rike "rich". As a modern English name, it has become popular because it shares the same trendy sounds found in other names such as Ryan and Ryder.

Rylan m English (Modern)
Possibly a variant of Ryland, though it could also be an invented name inspired by other names like Ryan and Riley.

Ryland m English (Modern)
From an English surname, which was originally derived from a place name meaning "rye land" in Old English.

Rylee f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Riley.

Ryleigh f English (Modern)
Feminine variant of Riley.

Ryley m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Riley.

Rylie f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Riley.

Sabella f English (Rare)
Short form of Isabella.

Sable f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "black", derived from the name of the black-furred mammal native to Northern Asia, ultimately of Slavic origin.

Sabrina f English, Italian, German, French, Spanish
Latinized form of Habren, the original Welsh name of the River Severn. According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river, which is of unknown meaning. She appears as a water nymph in John Milton's masque Comus (1634).... [more]

Sabryna f English (Rare)
Variant of Sabrina.

Sacheverell m English (Rare)
From a now extinct English surname that was derived from a Norman place name. It was occasionally given in honour of the English preacher Henry Sacheverell (1674-1724), especially by the Sitwell noble family.

Sadie f English
Diminutive of Sarah.

Saffron f English (Rare)
From the English word that refers either to a spice, the crocus flower from which it is harvested, or the yellow-orange colour of the spice. It is derived via Old French from Arabic زعفران (za'faran), itself probably from Persian meaning "gold leaves".

Sage f & m English (Modern)
From the English word sage, which denotes either a type of spice or else a wise person.

Saige f English (Modern)
Variant of Sage.

Saint m English (Modern)
From the English word, ultimately from Latin sanctus "holy, saintly".

Sal f & m English
Short form of Sally, Salvador and other names beginning with Sal.

Salem 2 f & m English (Modern)
From the name of a biblical town, שָׁלֵם (Shalem) in Hebrew, meaning "complete, safe, peaceful". According to the Old Testament this was the town where Melchizedek was king. It is usually identified with Jerusalem. Many places are named after the biblical town, most in America, notably a city in Massachusetts where the infamous Salem witch trials occurred in 1692.

Salena f English (Modern)
Perhaps an invented name based on similar-sounding names such as Selina.

Salina f English
Perhaps an invented name based on similar-sounding names such as Selina.

Sallie f English
Variant of Sally.

Sally f English
Diminutive of Sarah, often used independently.

Salome f English (Rare), German (Rare), Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From an Aramaic name that was related to the Hebrew word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". According to the historian Josephus this was the name of the daughter of Herodias (the consort of Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee). In the New Testament, though a specific name is not given, it was a daughter of Herodias who danced for Herod and was rewarded with the head of John the Baptist, and thus Salome and the dancer have traditionally been equated.... [more]

Sam 1 m & f English, Literature
Short form of Samuel, Samson, Samantha and other names beginning with Sam. This is the name of a detective in Dashiell Hammett's novel The Maltese Falcon (1930). In J. R. R. Tolkien's 1954 novel The Lord of the Rings (1954) this is a short form of Samwise.

Samantha f English, Italian, Dutch
Perhaps intended to be a feminine form of Samuel, using the name suffix antha (possibly inspired by Greek ἄνθος (anthos) meaning "flower"). It originated in America in the 18th century but was fairly uncommon until 1964, when it was popularized by the main character on the television show Bewitched.

Samara f English (Modern), Portuguese (Brazilian)
Possibly derived from the name of the city of Samarra (in Iraq) or Samara (in Russia). The former appears in the title of the novel Appointment in Samarra (1934) by John O'Hara, which refers to an ancient Babylonian legend about a man trying to evade death. Alternatively, this name could be derived from the word for the winged seeds that grow on trees such as maples and elms.... [more]

Sammi f English (Rare)
Diminutive of Samantha.

Sammie f & m English
Diminutive of Samuel, Samson or Samantha.

Sammy m & f English
Diminutive of Samuel, Samson or Samantha.

Sampson 2 m English
From an English surname that was itself derived from a medieval form of the given name Samson.

Samson m Biblical, English, French, Biblical Latin
From the Hebrew name שִׁמְשׁוֹן (Shimshon), derived from שֶׁמֶשׁ (shemesh) meaning "sun". Samson was an Old Testament hero granted exceptional strength by God. His mistress Delilah betrayed him and cut his hair, stripping him of his power. Thus he was captured by the Philistines, blinded, and brought to their temple. However, in a final act of strength, he pulled down the pillars of the temple upon himself and his captors.... [more]

Samuel m English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Jewish, Eastern African, Amharic, Biblical
From the Hebrew name שְׁמוּאֵל (Shemu'el) meaning "name of God", from the roots שֵׁם (shem) meaning "name" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". Other interpretations have the first root being שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear" leading to a meaning of "God has heard". As told in the Books of Samuel in the Old Testament, Samuel was the last of the ruling judges. He led the Israelites during a period of domination by the Philistines, who were ultimately defeated in battle at Mizpah. Later he anointed Saul to be the first king of Israel, and even later anointed his successor David.... [more]

Sandford m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant of Sanford.

Sandie f English
Variant of Sandy.

Sandra f Italian, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Czech, Romanian
Short form of Alessandra. It was introduced to the English-speaking world by author George Meredith, who used it for the heroine in his novel Emilia in England (1864) and the reissued version Sandra Belloni (1887). A famous bearer is the American actress Sandra Bullock (1964-).

Sandy m & f English
Originally a diminutive of Alexander. As a feminine name it is a diminutive of Alexandra or Sandra. It can also be given in reference to the colour.

Sanford m English
From an English surname, originally from a place name, which meant "sand ford" in Old English.

Santana f & m Spanish (Latin American), Portuguese (Brazilian), English (Modern)
From a contraction of Santa Ana (referring to Saint Anna) or from a Spanish and Portuguese surname derived from any of the numerous places named for the saint. It can be given in honour of the Mexican-American musician Carlos Santana (1947-), the founder of the band Santana. The name received a boost in popularity for American girls after the character Santana Andrade began appearing on the soap opera Santa Barbara in 1984.

Sapphire f English (Rare)
From the name of the gemstone, typically blue, which is the traditional birthstone of September. It is derived from Greek σάπφειρος (sappheiros), ultimately from the Hebrew word סַפִּיר (sappir).

Sara f Greek, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French, Catalan, Galician, Romanian, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Albanian, Macedonian, Polish, English, Hebrew, Arabic, Persian, Biblical Greek
Form of Sarah used in various languages.

Sarah f English, French, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Biblical, Biblical Hebrew
Means "lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15).... [more]

Saranna f English (Rare)
Combination of Sarah and Anna, in occasional use since the 18th century.

Sarina f German, Dutch, English (Modern)
Diminutive of Sara, or sometimes a variant of Serena.

Sasha m & f Russian, Ukrainian, English, French
Russian and Ukrainian diminutive of Aleksandr or Aleksandra.

Satchel m English (Rare)
From an English surname derived from Old English sacc meaning "sack, bag", referring to a person who was a bag maker. A famous bearer was the American baseball player Satchel Paige (1906-1982). In his case it was a childhood nickname acquired because he sold bags.

Saundra f English
Variant of Sondra.

Savanna f English (Modern)
Variant of Savannah.

Savannah f English
From the English word for the large grassy plain, ultimately deriving from the Taino (Native American) word zabana. It came into use as a given name in America in the 19th century. It was revived in the 1980s by the movie Savannah Smiles (1982).

Sawyer m & f English (Modern)
From an English surname meaning "sawer of wood". Mark Twain used it for the hero in his novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876).... [more]

Saxon m English (Rare)
From an English surname that was derived from the name of the Germanic tribe the Saxons, ultimately deriving from the Germanic word *sahsą meaning "knife". This name can also be given in direct reference to the tribe.

Saylor f English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from Old French sailleor meaning "acrobat, dancer". As a modern English given name it could also come from the homophone vocabulary word sailor.

Scarlet f English (Modern)
Either a variant of Scarlett or else from the English word for the red colour (both of the same origin, a type of cloth).

Scarlett f English
From an English surname that denoted a person who sold or made clothes made of scarlet (a kind of cloth, possibly derived from Persian سقرلاط (saqrelat)). Margaret Mitchell used it for the main character, Scarlett O'Hara, in her novel Gone with the Wind (1936). Her name is explained as having come from her grandmother. Despite the fact that the book was adapted into a popular movie in 1939, the name was not common until the 21st century. It started rising around 2003, about the time that the career of American actress Scarlett Johansson (1984-) started taking off.

Scarlette f English (Modern)
Variant of Scarlett.

Schuyler m & f English
From a Dutch surname meaning "scholar". Dutch settlers brought the surname to America, where it was subsequently adopted as a given name in honour of the American general and senator Philip Schuyler (1733-1804).

Scot m English, Scottish
Variant form of Scott.

Scott m English, Scottish
From an English and Scottish surname that referred to a person from Scotland or a person who spoke Scottish Gaelic. It is derived from Latin Scoti meaning "Gael, Gaelic speaker", with the ultimate origin uncertain.

Scottie m & f English
Diminutive of Scott, occasionally used as a feminine form.

Scotty m English
Diminutive of Scott.

Scout f & m English (Modern)
From the English word scout meaning "one who gathers information covertly", which is derived from Old French escouter "to listen". Harper Lee used this name in her novel To Kill a Mockingbird (1960).

Sean m Irish, English
Anglicized form of Seán. This name name, along with variants Shawn and Shaun, began to be be used in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland around the middle of the 20th century.

Seanna f English (Rare)
Feminine form of Seán.

Sebastian m German, English, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Polish, Finnish, Romanian, Czech
From the Latin name Sebastianus, which meant "from Sebaste". Sebaste was the name a town in Asia Minor, its name deriving from Greek σεβαστός (sebastos) meaning "venerable" (a translation of Latin Augustus, the title of the Roman emperors). According to Christian tradition, Saint Sebastian was a 3rd-century Roman soldier martyred during the persecutions of the emperor Diocletian. After he was discovered to be a Christian, he was tied to a stake and shot with arrows. This however did not kill him. Saint Irene of Rome healed him and he returned to personally admonish Diocletian, whereupon the emperor had him beaten to death.... [more]

Sefton m English (Rare)
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "town in the rushes" in Old English.

Sela f English (Rare)
From the name of a city, the capital of Edom, which appears in the Old Testament. It means "rock" in Hebrew.

Selby m & f English (Rare)
From an English surname that was from a place name meaning "willow farm" in Old Norse.

Selina f English, German
Variant of Celina or Selene. As an English name, it first came into use in the 17th century.

Selma 1 f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic
Meaning unknown, possibly a short form of Anselma. It could also have been inspired by James Macpherson's 18th-century poems, in which it is the name of Ossian's castle.

Selwyn m English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally derived from an Old English given name, which was formed of the elements sele "manor" and wine "friend".

September f English (Rare)
From the name of the ninth month (though it means "seventh month" in Latin, since it was originally the seventh month of the Roman year), which is sometimes used as a given name for someone born in September.

Sequoia f & m English (Rare)
From the name of huge trees that grow in California. The tree got its name from the 19th-century Cherokee scholar Sequoyah (also known as George Guess), the inventor of the Cherokee writing system.

Sera f English (Rare)
Either a variant of Sarah or a short form of Seraphina.

Seraphina f English (Rare), German (Rare), Late Roman
Feminine form of the Late Latin name Seraphinus, derived from the biblical word seraphim, which was Hebrew in origin and meant "fiery ones". The seraphim were an order of angels, described by Isaiah in the Bible as having six wings each.... [more]

Serena f English, Italian, Late Roman
From a Late Latin name that was derived from Latin serenus meaning "clear, tranquil, serene". This name was borne by an obscure early saint. Edmund Spenser also used it in his poem The Faerie Queene (1590). A famous bearer from the modern era is tennis player Serena Williams (1981-).

Serenity f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "serenity, tranquility", ultimately from Latin serenus meaning "clear, calm".

Serina f English
Variant of Serena.

Serrena f English (Rare)
Variant of Serena.

Seth 1 m English, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
Means "placed" or "appointed" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament he is the third named son of Adam and Eve, and the ancestor of Noah and all humankind. In England this name came into use after the Protestant Reformation.

Seven m & f English (Modern)
From the English word for the number, derived from Old English seofon (from an Indo-European root shared by Latin septem and Greek ἑπτά (hepta)).

Sevyn f & m English (Rare)
Variant of Seven.

Seward m English
From an English surname, either Seward 1 or Seward 2.

Seymour m English
From a Norman surname that originally belonged to a person coming from the French town of Saint Maur (which means "Saint Maurus").

Shad 2 m English
Perhaps a variant of Chad.

Shae f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Shea.

Shaelyn f English (Rare)
Elaboration of Shae using the popular name suffix lyn.

Shana 1 f English
Variant of Shanna.

Shanae f English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Combination of the popular phonetic elements sha and nay.

Shane m Irish, English
Anglicized form of Seán. It came into general use in America after the release of the western movie Shane (1953).

Shanelle f English (Modern)
Variant of Chanel.

Shanene f English (Rare)
Combination of the phonetic elements sha and neen.

Shania f English (Modern)
In the case of singer Shania Twain (1965-), who chose it as her stage name, it was apparently based on an Ojibwe phrase meaning "on my way".

Shanna f English
Possibly a feminine variant of Shannon.

Shannah f English (Rare)
Variant of Shanna.

Shannen f English (Modern)
Variant of Shannon.

Shannon f & m English
From the name of the River Shannon, the longest river in Ireland, called an tSionainn in Irish. It is associated with the legendary figure Sionann and is sometimes said to be named for her. However it is more likely she was named after the river, which may be related to Old Irish sen "old, ancient". As a given name, it first became common in America after the 1940s.

Shanon f & m English
Variant of Shannon.

Shantae f English (Rare)
Variant of Chanté.

Shantel f English
Variant of Chantel.

Shantelle f English (Rare)
Variant of Chantel.

Sharalyn f English (Rare)
Variant of Cherilyn.

Shari f English
Diminutive of Sharon or a variant of Sherry.

Sharise f English (Rare)
Variant of Charisse.

Sharla f English
Variant of Charla.

Sharleen f English
Variant of Charlene.

Sharlene f English
Variant of Charlene.

Sharmaine f English (Rare)
Variant of Charmaine.

Sharon f English
From an Old Testament place name, in Hebrew שָׁרוֹן (Sharon), which means "plain", referring to the fertile plain near the coast of Israel. This is also the name of a type of flowering shrub, the rose of Sharon. It has been in use as a given name since the 1920s, possibly inspired by the heroine in the serial novel The Skyrocket (1925) by Adela Rogers St. Johns.

Sharona f English (Rare)
Elaborated form of Sharon.

Sharron f English
Variant of Sharon.

Sharyl f English
Variant of Cheryl.

Sharyn f English
Variant of Sharon.

Shaun m English
Anglicized form of Seán. This is the more common spelling in the United Kingdom and Australia, while Shawn is preferred in the United States and Canada (though it got a boost in America after the singer Shaun Cassidy released his debut album in 1976).

Shauna f English
Feminine form of Shaun.

Shavon f English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Variant of Shavonne.

Shavonne f English (Modern), African American (Modern)
Anglicized form of Siobhán. In some cases it might be considered a combination of the phonetic element sha and Yvonne.

Shaw m English (Rare)
From a surname. As an English surname it is derived from Old English sceaga meaning "thicket". As a Scottish surname it is derived from the Gaelic byname Sitheach meaning "wolf".

Shawn m & f English
Anglicized form of Seán, occasionally used as a feminine form. This is the most common spelling of this name in the United States and Canada, with Shaun being more typical in the United Kingdom and Australia.

Shawna f English
Feminine form of Shawn.

Shawnda f English
Variant of Shonda.

Shawnee f English (Modern)
Means "southern people" in the Algonquin language. The Shawnee were an Algonquin tribe who originally lived in the Ohio valley.

Shaye f & m English (Rare)
Variant of Shea.

Shayla f English
Invented name, based on the sounds found in other names such as Sheila and Kayla.

Shaylyn f English (Rare)
Invented name, based on Shayla and using the popular name suffix lyn.

Shayne m English
Variant of Shane.

Sheard m English (Rare)
From a surname that was originally from a place name meaning "gap between hills" in Old English.

Sheelagh f English (Rare)
Variant of Sheila.

Sheena f Scottish, English
Anglicized form of Sìne. This name was popularized outside of Scotland in the 1980s by the singer Sheena Easton (1959-).

Sheila f Irish, English
Anglicized form of Síle.

Shel m English
Short form of Sheldon.

Shelagh f English (Rare)
Variant of Sheila.

Shelby m & f English
From an English surname, which was possibly a variant of Selby. Though previously in use as a rare masculine name, it was popularized as a feminine name by the main character in the movie The Woman in Red (1935). It was later reinforced by the movie Steel Magnolias (1989) in which Julia Roberts played a character by this name.

Sheldon m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "valley with steep sides" in Old English. Sheldon is the name of several locations in England.

Shelia f English
Variant of Sheila.

Shell f English
Short form of Michelle or Shelley. It can also be simply from the English word shell (ultimately from Old English sciell).

Shelley f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "clearing on a bank" in Old English. Two famous bearers of the surname were Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822), a romantic poet whose works include Adonais and Ozymandias, and Mary Shelley (1797-1851), his wife, the author of the horror story Frankenstein. As a feminine given name, it came into general use after the 1940s.

Shelly f & m English
Variant of Shelley.

Shelton m English
From a surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "shelf town" in Old English.

Shena f English (Modern)
Variant of Sheena.

Shepherd m English
From an English occupational surname meaning "sheep herder, shepherd".

Sheree f English
Variant of Sherry or Cherie. This particular spelling was popularized by American actress Sheree North (1932-2005), who was born Dawn Shirley Crang.

Sheri f English
Variant of Sherry.

Sheridan m & f English
From an Irish surname (Anglicized from Irish Gaelic Ó Sirideáin), which was derived from the given name Sirideán possibly meaning "searcher".

Sherie f English
Variant of Sherry or Cherie.

Sherill f English (Rare)
Variant of Cheryl.

Sherilyn f English
Variant of Cherilyn.

Sherisse f English (Rare)
Variant of Charisse.

Sherley f English (Rare)
Variant of Shirley.

Sherlyn f English (Modern)
Recently created name, probably based on the sounds found in other names like Sharon, Sherry and Charlene.

Sherman m English
From an English surname meaning "shear man", originally denoting a person who cut cloth. Famous bearers of the surname include American politician Roger Sherman (1721-1793) and American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891).

Sherri f English
Variant of Sherry.

Sherrie f English
Variant of Sherry.

Sherry f English
Probably inspired by the French word chérie meaning "darling" or the English word sherry, a type of fortified wine named from the Spanish town of Jerez. This name came into popular use during the 1920s, inspired by other similar-sounding names and by Collette's novels Chéri (1920, English translation 1929) and The Last of Chéri (1926, English translation 1932), in which it is a masculine name.... [more]

Sherwood m English
From an English place name (or from a surname that was derived from it) meaning "bright forest". This was the name of the forest in which the legendary outlaw Robin Hood made his home.

Sheryl f English
Variant of Cheryl.

Sheryll f English
Variant of Cheryl.

Shevaun f English (Rare)
Variant of Shavonne.

Shevon f English (Rare)
Variant of Shavonne.

Shirlee f English
Variant of Shirley.

Shirley f & m English
From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning "bright clearing" in Old English. This is the name of a main character in Charlotte Brontë's semi-autobiographical novel Shirley (1849). Though the name was already popular in the United States, the child actress Shirley Temple (1928-2014) gave it a further boost. By 1935 it was the second most common name for girls.

Shon m English
Variant of Shawn.

Shonda f English
Invented name, probably based on the sounds found in Shawna and Rhonda.

Shyla f English (Modern)
Variant of Sheila, or a combination of the popular phonetic elements shy and la.

Sibyl f English
From Greek Σίβυλλα (Sibylla), meaning "prophetess, sibyl". In Greek and Roman legend the sibyls were female prophets who practiced at different holy sites in the ancient world. In later Christian theology, the sibyls were thought to have divine knowledge and were revered in much the same way as the Old Testament prophets. Because of this, the name came into general use in the Christian world during the Middle Ages. The Normans imported it to England, where it was spelled both Sibyl and Sybil. It became rare after the Protestant Reformation, but it was revived in the 19th century, perhaps helped by Benjamin Disraeli's novel Sybil (1845).

Sid m English
Short form of Sidney.

Sidney m & f English
From the English surname Sidney. It was first used as a given name in honour of executed politician Algernon Sidney (1622-1683). Another notable bearer of the surname was the poet and statesman Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).... [more]

Sidony f English (Archaic)
Feminine form of Sidonius. This name was in use in the Middle Ages, when it became associated with the word sindon (of Greek origin) meaning "linen", a reference to the Shroud of Turin.

Siena f English (Modern)
Variant of Sienna, with the spelling perhaps influenced by that of the Italian city.

Sienna f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "orange-red". It is ultimately from the name of the city of Siena in Italy, because of the colour of the clay there.

Sierra f English (Modern)
Means "mountain range" in Spanish, referring specifically to a mountain range with jagged peaks.

Sigmund m German, Norwegian, English, Norse Mythology
Derived from the Old German elements sigu "victory" and munt "protection" (or in the case of the Scandinavian cognate, from Old Norse sigr and mundr). An early variant of this name was Sigismund, borne by a 6th-century saint and king of the Burgundians. In the Norse Völsungasaga Sigmund is the hero Sigurd's father, the bearer of the powerful sword Gram. A notable bearer was the Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the creator of the revolutionary theory of psychoanalysis.

Sigourney f English
From an English surname that was derived from the French town of Sigournais, called Segurniacum in medieval Latin, itself of unknown meaning. The American actress Sigourney Weaver (1949-), real name Susan, adopted this name in 1963 after the minor character Sigourney Howard in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby (1925).

Silas m English, Greek, Danish, German, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
The name of a companion of Saint Paul in the New Testament. It is probably a short form of Silvanus, a name that Paul calls him by in the epistles. It is possible that Silvanus and Silas were Latin and Greek forms of the Hebrew name Saul (via Aramaic).... [more]

Silver m & f English (Rare)
From the English word for the precious metal or the colour, ultimately derived from Old English seolfor.

Silvester m Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, German, English, Late Roman
From a Latin name meaning "wooded, wild", derived from silva "wood, forest". This was the name of three popes, including Saint Silvester I who supposedly baptized the first Christian Roman emperor, Constantine the Great. As an English name, Silvester (or Sylvester) has been in use since the Middle Ages, though it became less common after the Protestant Reformation.

Silvia f Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, German, Dutch, English, Late Roman, Roman Mythology
Feminine form of Silvius. Rhea Silvia was the mother of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. This was also the name of a 6th-century saint, the mother of the pope Gregory the Great. It has been a common name in Italy since the Middle Ages. It was introduced to England by Shakespeare, who used it for a character in his play The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594). It is now more commonly spelled Sylvia in the English-speaking world.

Simon 1 m English, French, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch, Hungarian, Slovene, Romanian, Macedonian, Georgian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From Σίμων (Simon), the New Testament Greek form of the Hebrew name שִׁמְעוֹן (Shim'on) meaning "hearing, listening", derived from שָׁמַע (shama') meaning "to hear, to listen". This name is spelled Simeon, based on Greek Συμεών, in many translations of the Old Testament, where it is borne by the second son of Jacob. The New Testament spelling may show influence from the otherwise unrelated Greek name Simon 2.... [more]

Simone 1 f French, English, German, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese
French feminine form of Simon 1. A famous bearer was Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), a French feminist and philosopher.

Simonette f English (Rare)
Diminutive of Simone 1.

Sincere m English (Modern)
From the English word meaning genuine or heartfelt.

Sinclair m & f English (Rare)
From a Scottish surname that was derived from a Norman French town called "Saint Clair". A notable bearer was the American author Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951).

Sindy f English (Rare)
Variant of Cindy.

Sinjin m English (British, Rare)
Phonetic variant of St John.

Sissie f English
Variant of Sissy.

Sissy f English
Diminutive of Cecilia, Frances or Priscilla. It can also be taken from the nickname, which originated as a nursery form of the word sister.

Sky f & m English (Modern)
Simply from the English word sky, which was ultimately derived from Old Norse ský "cloud".

Skye f English (Modern)
From the name of the Isle of Skye off the west coast of Scotland. It is sometimes considered a variant of Sky.

Skyla f English (Modern)
Feminine variant of Skyler, formed using the popular name suffix la.

Skylar f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Skyler. Originally more common for boys during the 1980s, it was popularized as a name for girls after it was used on the American soap opera The Young and the Restless in 1989 and the movie Good Will Hunting in 1997. Its sharp rise in the United States in 2011 might be attributed to the character Skyler White from the television series Breaking Bad (2008-2013) or the singer Skylar Grey (1986-), who adopted this name in 2010 after previously going by Holly Brook.

Skyler m & f English (Modern)
Variant of Schuyler, based on the pronunciation of the surname but respelled as if it was a blend of the English word sky with names such as Tyler. It was rare before 1980, and first gained popularity as a name for boys. It is now more common for girls, though it is more evenly unisex than the mostly feminine variant Skylar.

Skylynn f English (Rare)
Elaboration of Sky using the popular name suffix lyn.

Slade m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was derived from Old English slæd meaning "valley".

Sloan f & m English (Modern)
Variant of Sloane.

Sloane f English (Modern)
From an Irish surname, an Anglicized form of Ó Sluaghadháin, itself derived from the given name Sluaghadhán.

Sly m English
Short form of Sylvester. The actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-) is a well-known bearer of this nickname.

Smith m English
From an English surname meaning "metal worker, blacksmith", derived from Old English smitan "to smite, to hit". It is the most common surname in most of the English-speaking world.

Snow f English (Rare)
From the English word, derived from Old English snāw.

Solomon m Biblical, English, Jewish, Biblical Latin, Biblical Greek
From the Hebrew name שְׁלֹמֹה (Shelomoh), which was derived from Hebrew שָׁלוֹם (shalom) meaning "peace". As told in the Old Testament, Solomon was a king of Israel, the son of David and Bathsheba. He was renowned for his wisdom and wealth. Towards the end of his reign he angered God by turning to idolatry. Supposedly, he was the author of the Book of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon.... [more]

Sommer f English (Modern)
Variant of Summer, coinciding with the German word for summer.

Sondra f English
Variant of Sandra. It was popularized in the English-speaking world by a character in Theodore Dreiser's novel An American Tragedy (1925) and the subsequent movie adaptation (1931).

Sonia f English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Polish
Variant of Sonya.

Sonnie m English (Rare)
Variant of Sonny.

Sonny m English
From a nickname that is commonly used to denote a young boy, derived from the English word son.

Sonya f Russian, English
Russian diminutive of Sophia. This is the name of a character in Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace (1869, English translation 1886).

Sookie f English
Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Sophia f English, Greek, German, Ancient Greek
Means "wisdom" in Greek. This was the name of an early, probably mythical, saint who died of grief after her three daughters were martyred during the reign of the emperor Hadrian. Legends about her probably arose as a result of a medieval misunderstanding of the phrase Hagia Sophia "Holy Wisdom", which is the name of a large basilica in Constantinople.... [more]

Sophie f French, English, German, Dutch
French form of Sophia.

Sophy f English (Rare)
Variant of Sophie or a diminutive of Sophia.

Soren m English (Modern)
English form of Søren.

Sorrel f English (Rare)
From the name of the sour tasting plant, derived from Old French sur "sour", a word of Frankish origin.

Sparrow m & f English (Rare)
From the name of the bird, ultimately from Old English spearwa.

Spencer m English
From an English surname that meant "dispenser of provisions", derived from Middle English spense "larder, pantry". A famous bearer was American actor Spencer Tracy (1900-1967). It was also the surname of Princess Diana (1961-1997).

Spike m English
From a nickname that may have originally been given to a person with spiky hair.

Spirit f English (Rare)
From the English word spirit, ultimately from Latin spiritus "breath, energy", a derivative of spirare "to blow".

Spring f English
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English springan "to leap, to burst forth".

Stace m & f Medieval English, English
Medieval short form of Eustace. As a modern name it is typically a short form of Stacy.

Stacee f English (Rare)
Feminine variant of Stacy.

Stacey f & m English
Variant of Stacy.

Staci f English
Feminine variant of Stacy.

Stacia f English
Short form of Anastasia or Eustacia.

Stacie f English
Feminine variant of Stacy.

Stacy f & m English
Either a diminutive of Anastasia, or else from a surname that was derived from Stace, a medieval form of Eustace. As a feminine name, it came into general use during the 1950s, though it had earlier been in use as a rare masculine name.

Stafford m English
From a surname that was from a place name meaning "landing-place ford" in Old English.

Stan 1 m English
Short form of Stanley. A famous bearer was British comedian Stan Laurel (1890-1965).

Stanford m English
From a surname that was derived from a place name meaning "stone ford" in Old English.

Stanley m English
From an English surname meaning "stone clearing" (Old English stan "stone" and leah "woodland, clearing"). A notable bearer of the surname was the British-American explorer and journalist Sir Henry Morton Stanley (1841-1904), the man who found David Livingstone in Africa. As a given name, it was borne by American director Stanley Kubrick (1928-1999), as well as the character Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947).

Star f English
From the English word for the celestial body, ultimately from Old English steorra.

Starla f English
Elaborated form of Star.

Starr f English
Variant of Star.

Ste m English
Short form of Stephen.

Stefani f English, Bulgarian
English variant and Bulgarian form of Stephanie. A notable bearer is Stefani Germanotta (1986-), an American singer better known as Lady Gaga.

Stella 1 f English, Italian, Dutch, German
Means "star" in Latin. This name was created by the 16th-century poet Sir Philip Sidney for the subject of his collection of sonnets Astrophel and Stella. It was a nickname of a lover of Jonathan Swift, real name Esther Johnson (1681-1728), though it was not commonly used as a given name until the 19th century. It appears in Tennessee Williams' play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), belonging to the sister of Blanche DuBois and the wife of Stanley Kowalski.

Steph f & m English
Short form of Stephanie or Stephen.

Stephani f English (Modern)
Variant of Stephanie.

Stephania f English
Latinate feminine form of Stephen.

Stephanie f English, German
Feminine form of Stephen.

Stephany f English
Variant of Stephanie.

Stephen m English, Biblical
From the Greek name Στέφανος (Stephanos) meaning "crown, wreath", more precisely "that which surrounds". Saint Stephen was a deacon who was stoned to death, as told in Acts in the New Testament. He is regarded as the first Christian martyr. Due to him, the name became common in the Christian world. It was popularized in England by the Normans.... [more]

Sterling m English
From a Scots surname that was derived from city of Stirling, which is itself of unknown meaning. The name can also be given in reference to the English word sterling meaning "excellent". In this case, the word derives from sterling silver, which was so named because of the emblem that some Norman coins bore, from Old English meaning "little star".

Stetson m English (Modern)
From an English surname that was originally derived from the name of the village of Stidston in Devon, meaning "Stithweard's town". This is a type of wide-brimmed hat, originally made by the John B. Stetson Company.

Steve m English
Short form of Steven. A notable bearer was American technology entrepreneur Steve Jobs (1955-2011).

Steven m English, Dutch
Medieval English variant of Stephen, and a Dutch variant of Stefan. The filmmaker Steven Spielberg (1946-), director of E.T. and Indiana Jones, is a famous bearer of this name.

Stevie m & f English
Diminutive of Stephen or Stephanie. A famous bearer is the American musician Stevie Wonder (1950-).

Stew m English
Short form of Stewart.

Stewart m English, Scottish
From a surname that was a variant Stuart.

Stirling m English (Rare)
From a surname that was a variant Sterling. This is the name of a city in Scotland.

St John m English (British, Rare)
From the title and name of Saint John the Baptist or Saint John the Evangelist (see John).

Stone m English (Modern)
From the English vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English stan.

Storm m & f English (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Danish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern)
From the vocabulary word, ultimately from Old English or Old Dutch storm, or in the case of the Scandinavian name, from Old Norse stormr.

Stormi f English (Modern)
Variant of Stormy.

Stormy f English (Modern)
From the English word meaning "stormy, wild, turbulent", ultimately from Old English stormig.

Stu m English
Short form of Stuart.

Stuart m English, Scottish
From a Scottish occupational surname originally belonging to a person who was a steward. It is ultimately derived from Old English stig "house" and weard "guard". As a given name, it arose in 19th-century Scotland in honour of the Stuart royal family, which produced several kings and queens of Scotland and Britain between the 14th and 18th centuries.

Sue f English
Short form of Susanna.

Suellen f English
Contraction of Susan and Ellen 1. Margaret Mitchell used this name in her novel Gone with the Wind (1936), where it belongs to Scarlett's sister.

Suki f English
Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Sukie f English
Diminutive of Susanna or Susan.

Sullivan m English, French
From an Irish surname, the Anglicized form of Ó Súileabháin, itself from the given name Súileabhán, which was derived from Irish súil "eye" and dubh "dark, black" combined with a diminutive suffix. This name has achieved a moderate level of popularity in France since the 1970s. In the United States it was rare before the 1990s, after which it began climbing steadily. A famous fictional bearer of the surname was James P. Sullivan from the animated movie Monsters, Inc. (2001).

Sully m English
Diminutive of Sullivan and other names with a similar sound.

Summer f English
From the name of the season, ultimately from Old English sumor. It has been in use as a given name since the 1970s.

Sunday m & f English
From the name of the day of the week, which ultimately derives from Old English sunnandæg, which was composed of the elements sunne "sun" and dæg "day". This name is most common in Nigeria and other parts of Africa.

Sunny f & m English
From the English word meaning "sunny, cheerful".

Sunshine f English
From the English word, ultimately from Old English sunne "sun" and scinan "shine".

Susan f English
English variant of Susanna. This has been most common spelling since the 18th century. It was especially popular both in the United States and the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1960s. A notable bearer was the American feminist Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906).

Susanna f Italian, Catalan, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Ukrainian, Dutch, English, Armenian, Biblical, Biblical Latin, Old Church Slavic
From Σουσάννα (Sousanna), the Greek form of the Hebrew name שׁוֹשַׁנָּה (Shoshannah). This was derived from the Hebrew word שׁוֹשָׁן (shoshan) meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose"), perhaps ultimately from Egyptian sšn "lotus". In the Old Testament Apocrypha this is the name of a woman falsely accused of adultery. The prophet Daniel clears her name by tricking her accusers, who end up being condemned themselves. It also occurs in the New Testament belonging to a woman who ministers to Jesus.... [more]

Susanne f German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, English
German and Scandinavian form of Susanna.

Susie f English
Diminutive of Susan.

Sutton f & m English (Modern)
From a surname, itself derived from the name of numerous English towns, of Old English origin meaning "south town".

Suz f English
Short form of Susan.

Suzan 1 f English
Variant of Susan.

Suzanna f English
Variant of Susanna.

Suzanne f French, English, Dutch
French form of Susanna.

Suzi f English
Diminutive of Susan.

Suzie f English
Diminutive of Susan.

Suzy f English
Diminutive of Susan.

Sybella f English (Rare)
Variant of Sibylla.

Sybil f English
Variant of Sibyl. This spelling variation has existed since the Middle Ages.

Syd m & f English
Short form of Sydney.

Sydne f English (Rare)
Variant of Sydney.

Sydnee f English (Modern)
Variant of Sydney.

Sydney f & m English
From a surname that was a variant of the surname Sidney. This is the name of the largest city in Australia, which was named for Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney in 1788. Formerly used by both genders, since the 1980s this spelling of the name has been mostly feminine.

Sydnie f English (Modern)
Variant of Sydney.

Sylas m English (Modern), Biblical Polish
Variant of Silas, as well as the form found in the Polish New Testament.

Sylvan m English
Either a variant of Silvanus or directly from the Latin word silva meaning "wood, forest".

Sylvanus m English (Archaic)
Variant of Silvanus.

Sylvester m English, German, Danish
Medieval variant of Silvester. This is currently the usual English spelling of the name. A famous bearer is the American actor Sylvester Stallone (1946-).

Sylvia f English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish
Variant of Silvia. This has been the most common English spelling since the 19th century.

Symphony f English (Rare)
Simply from the English word, ultimately deriving from Greek σύμφωνος (symphonos) meaning "concordant in sound".

Tabatha f English
Variant of Tabitha.

Tabby f English
Diminutive of Tabitha.

Tabitha f English, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Means "gazelle" in Aramaic. Tabitha in the New Testament was a woman restored to life by Saint Peter. Her name is translated into Greek as Dorcas (see Acts 9:36). As an English name, Tabitha became common after the Protestant Reformation. It was popularized in the 1960s by the television show Bewitched, in which Tabitha (sometimes spelled Tabatha) is the daughter of the main character.

Tacey f English (Archaic)
Derived from Latin tace meaning "be silent". It was in use from the 16th century, though it died out two centuries later.